Internal Dosimetry Assessment for Drinking the Groundwater of the Disi Aquifer

TL;DR

This study assesses the internal radiation doses from radium-contaminated groundwater in the Disi Aquifer, highlighting increased cancer risks for children and exceeding WHO safety limits.

Contribution

It provides a detailed internal dosimetry analysis focusing on bone dose and age-dependent risks from radium ingestion in groundwater.

Findings

Children under 15 face up to 5 times higher cancer risk.

Radium levels in bones remain high for at least 10 years after ingestion.

Whole-body doses exceed WHO recommended limits by a factor of 5.

Abstract

The quest for a better understanding of the cancer risk associated with drinking the radium-contaminated groundwater of the Disi Aquifer in Jordan has become more urgent in recent years. To quantitively identify the health consequences attainable from the consumption of this groundwater source, internal dosimetry analysis was performed with emphasis on doses deliverable to bone surfaces. Moreover, the age-dependent dose calculations performed in this study show that the most critical group is those who are below the age of 15, where we predict an increase in the risk of cancer by up to a factor of 5 as compared to adults. It is also demonstrated that radium radioactivity remains relatively constant in the bone even 10 years after ingestion. The whole-body dose analysis concluded that it is a factor of 5 higher than what the WHO recommends as a limit.